Wednesday, 11 July 2007

Memorial day - 5

This is the fifth in a series of blogs posted each Wednesday dedicated at looking at memorials and public sculptures.

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Abbey Garden adjacent to the Jewel Tower, is one of the most filmed locations in London. It lies across the road from the Houses of Parliament. It is the site TV news crews from around the world set up their cameras to interview Members of Parliament and report on notable British political events. Henry Moore’s sculptor “ Knife Edge” is located in the middle of the well manicured lawns of College Green.The bronze sculpture was completed in 1962 specifically to be located at its present location. It was presented to the Nation in 1967 by the Contemporary Art Society.

Undoubtedly Moore (1898 - 1986) and Barbara Hepworth (1903 - 1975) were the two leading abstract sculptors in post war Britain. They introduced abstract imagery to the general British public, not in art galleries, but by their sculptors located in public spaces. While the subject of their sculptures wasn’t readily recognisable, the fact they were Moore’s or Hepworth’s work was.

Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture “Reclining Figure” 1969 -70 was stolen from the Henry Moore Foundation at 10.13 pm on Thursday 15 December 2005.It was valued at £3million (US$6m).It could never be sold as a work of art, it is believed the 2.1 tonnes figure was stolen to be broken up and sold for its scrap value for less than £10,000 ($20,000).